Steph and Kris had been gone for a couple of hours, the gang had finished the preparations for Kris' birthday the following day, and was wondering where they had got to. "I thought they were only going to be an hour at the most, wonder where they got to" asked Rhys. They did not have to wonder for long, as Steph and Kris were walking up the road. "Where'd you pair get to" "don't ask," replied Kris, she managed to get us lost" he lied, not wanting the others to know about the conversation he and Steph had been having earlier. They all decided to go to the beach, just as they were leaving the hotel, Kris held Steph back, so he could talk to her without the others hearing, "Look what we were talking about, I don't want it to go any further, that was between me and you ok?" "Of course it is, I wont say anything".
Steph watched Kris and the others from her spot on the beach, Kris was acting so care free and happy, and it was only after today's chat that she realised that he too was putting on an act, that deep down he missed and loved her still, but was also filled with hurt anger and confusion. Steph did not realise to that day Kris thought it was his fault she had left, - flashback to earlier – "you asked me before if I could ever go back and change something, to be honest, yes I would, I would find out what I did that made her leave me, like the others did, and change what ever I did that made them go" "Others, what do you mean, besides, how do you know it was because of you she left" "Come on Steph, who is the common denominator here," he replied sadly, Steph could realise he was trying to hold back the tears. "I don't get what you mean" "Easy, Jess, Mum, Dad, Mal, my grandparents, most of my old mates from school, one by one, they have cut me out of their lives, because of who I am, why do you think I did what I did Steph, with the drinking, the drugs, the screwing around, I was trying to forget, and in a way I was trying to destroy myself, no one gave a thought to how I was, so why should I care what I do to myself" "She was just another one in a long line that left" Steph did not know what to say, as everything she could think of sounded lame, so she just held Kris, while he sobbed in her arms. – End flashback.
She had tried to broach the subject of Jess again with the girls, but they were having non of it, so Steph decided there and then, she would have to take matters into her own hands, and no matter what the outcome was good or bad, at least closure could be found, which is something that had been lacking since Jess had disappeared.
But how would she do it? She spent the afternoon on the beach apparently reading in her book, but all along her brain was working overtime trying to work out how to sort this whole mess out.